Digitized Collections

Our research libraries are more than books. The WMU Libraries' digitization goal is to bring patrons unique items through our online digital collections. These include historically significant items from the WMU collections: diaries, photographs, maps, manuscripts, artwork, presidential letters, blueprints, and more. They are selected from WMU Libraries’ collections including: Archives and Regional History Collections, Rare Books, Map Collection, WMU departments, and regional partners. All collections can be browsed, and most are searchable.

These special digital collections are designed with classroom support, and community collaboration in mind. They are available under 'Fair Use' guidelines - see copyright informationCollections can also be found in: Library Search - WMU library catalog, MeLCat - Michigan elibrary catalog, and WorldCat - world library catalog.

Augustinian (8 July 1905 - 27 December 1930) and Kalamazoo Augustinian (19 December 1896 - 1 July 1905)The Augustinian was a Catholic newspaper and included news of area Catholic churches, schools, and organizations. The run is not complete but represents about 35 years of content from 1896 to 1930.

Caroline Bartlett Crane Everyman's House CollectionItems include a mix of blueprints, letters, photos and a book from the nationally recognized home design built in Kalamazoo, Michigan, by Caroline Bartlett Crane. All images have comprehensive metadata, and the capability to zoom in on details.

Cistercian Reference WorksThe Cistercian Reference works collection provides digital access to important and hard-to-find works on the Cistercian Order and will eventually include works such as bibliographies, dictionaries, biographical and geographical material and indexes.

Costume History Collection This collection is currently comprised of four books housed in the Special Collections and Rare Books Room of Waldo Library. Each of these books illustrates aspects of dress from the mid-18th century to the mid-19th century.

Instructional Image Catalog Digital images gathered from the Visual Resources Library collection of slides and digital images for instruction and research. This collection is restricted to WMU students, faculty, and staff.

Index Map Collection Index maps for map series and sets, such as AMS (Army Map Service), visually annotated to show local WMU Libraries holdings.

Kalamazoo News (23 August 1979 - 19 February 1987)The Kalamazoo News was an alternative weekly newspaper that was published by John Prange from August 23, 1979 to February 19, 1987. It focused primarily on regional news.

Medieval Manuscript Variants in Aelfric of Eynsham's Catholic HomiliesA project intended to make available and preserve the results of many years of compilation activity by Professors Peter Clemoes and Malcolm Godden, two scholars engaged in the study of Aelfric of Eynsham's Catholic Homilies. Now available as a pilot project are one homily from each of the two series (I.17 and II.23), I.17 being a homily for the 2nd Sunday after Easter and II.23 a homily for the 3rd Sunday after Pentecost. Also included is a digitized version of WMU's copy of A Testimonie of Antiqvitie of 1566?, the earliest edition of one of the Catholic Homilies.

Performances from the WMU School of MusicThis collection contains selected concerts and recitals from the WMU School of Music from the 1970s to the present, primarily graduate recitals and concerts by student ensembles. Concert programs are available for public viewing but digitized recordings are restricted to on-campus use only.

ScholarWorks at WMU A digital showcase of the research, scholarly, and creative output of members of the Western Michigan University community. The repository is administered by WMU Libraries and serves as a permanent digital archive for these materials.

South Asia Map Collection This collection is made up of intermediate scale maps published by the Army Map Service primarily in the 1940s and 1950s. It covers Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, and Burma.

South Haven Michigan Lighthouse LogsLighthouse keeper logs for the South Pierhead Light, South Haven, Michigan, from 1872 to 1880. The bulk of the logs were recorded by James S. Donahue who served as the keeper of the South Haven station for most of the period from 1872 to 1887.

Western Herald ArchiveThe Western Herald is the longest continuous publication on Western’s campus. The digitized Western Herald Archive includes a largely complete run of the newspaper from 1916 to 2009.

World War II Propaganda Collections The Howard Mowen Collection and the Edwin W. Polk Collection are two significant donations that now form a unified collection of Nazi German and Allies publications, photographs, and ephemera known as the N.S.D.A.P. Collection.